Nigvziani Badrijani
When I first ate nigvziani badrijani, it surprised me a lot. If I had tasted it without knowing that it belogs to Georgian cuisine, I would guess it's from somewhere from Levantine cuisine involving the southeastern Anatolia. It is such a meal that it's impossible to think it's not from Turkey. It's really very suitable for Turkish taste. Whenever this dish comes to my mind, I am surprised that we have not thought about it before. Dishes made with fried eggplants are one of the pillars of Turkish cuisine. We could quad the eggplant musakka, karnıyarık, and imam bayıldı trio with this recipe. We thought of frying the eggplant and mix it with the roasted groun meat, we thought of putting the ground meat in the eggplant, we thought of putting a tomato and onion mixture into the eggplant, but couldn't think of making a walnut paste, spread it on fried eggplant slices and roll them. Fortunately, nobody says that Turks can only make Turkish food, Georgians can only make Georgian food. Those who like to try different flavors can also enjoy these delicious flavors in their homes. What is Nigvziani Badrijani? Nigvziani badrijani means eggplant with walnuts. It is obtained by wrapping the fried eggplant slices together with a walnut paste. It is usually served with chopped greens and pomegranate seeds. Although it is a kind of appetizer or starter dish, it can be consumed as a main dish as it is a very satisfying meal. The spices used in the walnut mortar of Nigvziani badrijan may differ. Coriander is definitely used, the others are a little more variable. Some recipes calls for saffron instead of turmeric, for example, but I am not sure if they really use saffron or it is mixed with turmeric because of the colour. In any case, I preferred turmeric since it seems like a bit of waste to use an expensive spice like saffron in a mixture with garlic, where it is impossible to taste it. I also added olive oil and black pepper, even though I did not see it in any recipes, because experts recommend consuming turmeric together with olive oil and black pepper for maximum benefit. The cumin which I love with black pepper is also my comment. Blue fenugreek is a spice that I don't use. Since I was not able to find it here, I had to skip it, but if you can, you can add 1/4 teaspoon of blue fenugreek powder. Nigvziani badrijani is served cold. Therefore, you can prepare it in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. However, as the internal mortar waits, it changes color and begins to dry slightly. So be careful not to keep this time longer than 2-3 hours. Enjoy the recipe... Ingredients: 4 eggplants, 2 cups of walnuts, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of coriander or a pinch of chopped fresh coriander, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, Salt, 1/2 cup hot water Liquid oil for frying aubergines, Chopped parsley / coriander and pomegranate seeds for serving. Preparation: Slice the eggplants lengthwise without peeling and fry them in hot oil in both sides, For walnut spread, pulse walnuts, garlic, vinegar, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cumin, olive oil and salt as finely as possible in a food processor, Add hot water and pulse it into a puree, Spread the puree over the eggplant slices and wrap them in a roll, Take them on a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped parsley / coriander and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy your meal...